Downtown Bentonville’s Midtown Center set to open, will help push future area growth

Downtown Bentonville’s newest accomplishment – Walton Enterprises’ Midtown Center – is close to completion though roughly six months behind schedule and three years in the making.

The $20.35 million Midtown Center is an expansive mixed-use facility that consists of 2 three-story buildings and a park deck with 251 spaces, located just off the square. Next door and attached to the parking garage the main feature is a 31,000 square foot Walmart Neighborhood Market slated to open Nov. 11.

Doug Bryant, of Walton Enterprises Inc., which is developing the Midtown Center, has not returned several phone messages. Details on the Walton project are sketchy but the retailers and businesses which plan to locate in the new complex include Backwoods outdoor supplier, Lola Boutique, Independent D & E clothing, Onyx Coffee Shop and The Press Room restaurant, according to City of Bentonville officials.

At least two businesses are moving in and setting up although neither has had a final inspection or received a certificate of occupancy by the city. Jon Allen, owner of Onyx Coffee Lab, said his final inspection is scheduled Friday (Oct. 30) and he will open quietly after that. Allen and wife, Andrea, also own coffee labs in Fayetteville and Springdale. The coffee lab has taken 2,300 square feet of space in the Midtown Center. The lab will have 16 employees. It will open at 6:30 a.m., seven days a week with closing set at 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Several Bentonville restaurants, the Hive and 21C Hotel, serve coffee from Onyx Labs. The lab on Northwest Second Street will feature several courses on coffee, a community room for public used, a café and a few local beers, Allen said.

“Our name is already here,” Allen said. “People seem excited.”

Next door workers are applying wall slats and working on connecting the technology but the Backwoods outdoor apparel and other specialty items is largely stocked in spite of the closed sign on the front window. Cole Byars, general manager, said he didn’t know when the final inspection and certificate of occupancy would come.

“We’re working with the contractor and the city to get that done. We’re not yet serving any retail customers or general public,” he said.

Byars described the store as high end outdoor and specialty retail store with brand names such a Yeti, Patagonia, Tasc, Arc’teryx and other clothing and footwear lines. The store is the first in Arkansas and joins a network of nine other stores from Austin, Texas, to Omaha, Neb. The store has about 2,000 square feet and six employees.

“This is a new market for us, a test market and new floor plan,” Byars said. “I am happy to be here and to provide a service to the city. Bentonville is very warm and friendly and the outdoor area is so very accessible.”

The Walton Family Foundation has reportedly relocated its office to the new property. The top two floors are reserved for office space, while the 14,000 square feet of ground floor is pegged for retail.

WALMART ANCHOR
It’s no surprise to see Wal-Mart place a Neighborhood Market near its hometown square. The retailer and its largest shareholders – the Walton Family – continue to support the city’s downtown expansion. The retailer’s museum and nearby 21 C Museum are a stone’s throw from the new Neighborhood Market. Crystal Bridges is short walk and had helped the city welcome more than 2 million visitors in just four years.

Jessica Kirk, manager of the new Neighborhood Market at 205 N. Main St., said her teams are busy stocking shelves and preparing the store for opening in less than two weeks. The scheduled opening date Nov. 11, coincides with the fourth anniversary of the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American.

“It usually takes a crew about three and a half weeks, working eight hours a day, to set up a store,” Kirk said. 

The store is smaller than most Neighborhood Markets at 31,000 square feet. It will be staffed by 95 employees and will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, she said. The average Neighborhood Market store is about 40,000 square feet. The store will offer a full complement of “Grab and Go” lunch or dinner products. Unlike other Markets, the new downtown location will offer limited seating at four tables near the front of the store.

Another unique feature is the “build your own” pizza and it will be cooked immediately, Kirk said. Only a few stores, including the new one in downtown Rogers, have the capability to cook pizzas in-house, she said. There will also be a full service bakery and deli with slicing meats and cheeses along with chicken, ribs and popcorn chicken.

A pharmacy also will be located in the store, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“People are very excited about our location, having a store on the square,” said Kirk, who has been with Walmart for 19 years and is managing her third store.

TOWN REACTION
Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin and other city officials say the Midtown center will fuel other development.

“The revitalization of the Midtown Shopping Center is a critical step to keep the City of Bentonville and its signature downtown square on a path of continued prosperity. The New Midtown Center is a perfect fit for our community and embodies the values and history of our city, while adding shopping, office space and additional parking to accommodate Bentonville’s increasingly popular downtown events,” McCaslin said.

City Planning Director Troy Gallaway said he couldn’t have picked a better project to align with the city’s vision for its downtown because its is very consistent with the historic patterns of downtown. He also likes that is pedestrian-oriented.

One of Bentonville’s newer residents, Craig Rivaldo, president of Arvest Bank of Benton County, said the new Midtown Center and accompanying Neighborhood Market are great “economic” additions for the square.

“There is already tremendous energy on the Bentonville square, but anytime you can increase the activity and foot traffic to an area, you improve the energy and improve the economic viability of the area. Having Walmart and Midtown (downtown) should enhance all other businesses, including Arvest Bank,” Rivaldo said.

Rivaldo, who relocated to Bentonville from Fort Smith last year, has said he chose to live in downtown Bentonville in part because of the excitement and community feel around the square and its adjacent Market and Arts Districts. His offices are also located on the square.

“Since I live downtown my family is excited about the convenience and ability to walk to the Neighborhood Market. I would think the convenience of having a grocery downtown will continue to drive the demand and desire to live downtown as well,” Rivaldo said.